Device for force-constrained joining of arc baffle plate with stationary contact

ABSTRACT

A V-shaped spring has one free end affixed to an arc baffle plate, another free end abutting the removable arc chamber and a vertex abutting and sliding on an inclined plane formed on a base member. The spring moves the arc baffle plate toward a stationary contact during mounting of the arc chamber, thereby forceconstrainedly joining the arc baffle plate with the stationary contact.

I United States Patent I 1 I 1 I Inventors Joachim I-Iannich;

Gert Fischer, Amberg, Germany Appl. No. 832,210 Filed June 11,1969 Patented Feb. 9, I971 Assignee Siemens Aktiengesellschait Berlin, Germany a a corporation of Germany Priority June 20, 1968 Germany DEVICE FOR FORCE-CONSTRAINED JOINING OF ARC BAFFLE PLATE WITH STATIONARY CONTACT 5 Claims, 2 Drawing Figs.

US. Cl 200/144 Int. Cl H0lh 33/00 Field of Search 200/ I 44, I70

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,925,858 9/1933 Baker 200/144 FOREIGN PATENTS 93,318 l/l960 Netherlands 200/144 1,019,367 11/1957 Germany..... 200/144 1,171,974 6/1964 Germany 200/144 Primary Examiner-H. 0. Jones Atzorneys-Curt M. Avery, Arthur E. Wilfond, Herbert L.

Lerner and Daniel J. Tick ABSTRACT: A V-shaped spring has one free end affixed to an arc baffle plate, another free end abutting the removable arc chamber and a vertex abutting and sliding on an inclined plane formed on a base member. The spring moves the arc baffle plate toward a stationary contact during mounting of the arc chamber, thereby force-constrainedly joining the arc baffle plate with the stationary contact.

PATENTED FEB 9197! DEVICE FOR FORCE-CONSTRAINED JOINING OF ARC BAFFLE PLATE WITl-I STATIONARY CONTACT DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to an arc baffle plate of a removable arc chamber. More particularly, the invention relates to a device for force constrained joining of an arc baffle plate of a removable arc chamber with a stationary contact.

In known arrangements of the type of the present invention, the arc baffle plates are unilaterally pivoted to the front walls of the arc chamber. A spring is inserted on the side of the arc baffle plate which is turned away from the stationary contact of circuit apparatus, or the like. The spring is inserted between the arc baffle plate and the front wall of the arc chamber and produces contact pressure between said are baffle plate and the stationary contact. In order to mount the arc chamber, it is necessary to provide extraneous auxiliary means for compressing the arc baffle plate during the mounting of said arc chamber, so that said arc baffle plate may be guided past the stationary contact. In order to avoid the use of extraneous auxiliary means, the arc bafile ,plates may be appropriately rounded at their free ends, so that they may slide along the stationary contacts.

The rounding of the free ends of the arc baffle plates is appropriate only when the plates of the stationary contact or contacts, which is or are to make electrical contact with the arc baffle plate, and the arc baffle plates are positioned substantially in the direction of insertion of the arc chamber. In order to permit the pulling of the are as far as possible between the ends of the arc baffle plates, it is desirable that said are baffle plates have a greater inclination toward the direction of insertion of the arc chamber.

The principal object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved device for force-constrained joining of an arc baffle plate of a removable arc chamber with a stationary contact.

An object of the present invention is to provide a device for force-constrained joining of an arc baffle plate of a removable arc chamber with a stationary contact, without the disadvantages of known devices of similar type.

An object of the present invention is to provide a device for force-constrained joining of an arc baffle plate of a removable arc chamber with a stationary contact to provide reliable electrical contact between the arc baffle plate and the stationary contact when the arc chamber is inserted.

An object of the present invention is to provide a device of simple structure for force-constrained joining of an arc baffle plate of a removable arc chamber with a stationary contact, which device functions with efficiency, effectiveness and reliability.

In accordance with the present invention, a device for force-constrained joining of an arc baffle plate of a removable arc chamber with a stationary contact comprises a base member having an inclined plane formed thereon. A stationary contact is mounted on the base member in spaced relation with the inclined plane. A resilient member is elastically affixed to an arc baffle plate of a removable arc chamber and abuts and slides on the inclined plane of the base member and moves the arc baffle plate toward the stationary contact during mounting of the arc chamber.

The resilient member comprises a spring of acute angular configuration. The spring is of substantially V-shaped configuration having one free end afiixed to the arc baffle plate, another free end abutting the arc chamber and a vertex abutting and sliding on the inclined plane. The other free end of the spring abuts the arc chamber in force-constrained relation.

In order that the present invention may be readily carried into eflect, it will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawing, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram, partly in section, of an embodiment of the device of the present invention, illustrating an arc baffle plate of an arc chamber when the arc chamber is in removed condition from a base member; and

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram, partly in section, of the embodiment of FIG. 1, illustrating an arc baffle plate of an arc chamber when the arc chamber is mounted on a base member. In the FIGS., the same components are identified by the same reference numerals.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a plurality of connector strips 2 and stationary or fixed contacts 4 are affixed to the base member 1 of a circuit or switching arrangement, or the like, via bolts 3. An arc baffle plate 6 is pivotally mounted in an arc chamber 5 at the end 7 of said are baffle plate. The pivotal mounting is not shown in the FIGS. The free end 8 of the arc bafile plate is rounded or bent in arcuate configuration.

In accordance with the present invention, an inclined plane 14 is formed on the base member I. A spring 9 of acute angular configuration, which is of substantially V-shaped configuration, has one free end 11, another free end 12 and a vertex 15. The free end 11 is affixed to the free end of the arc baffle plate by any suitable means such as, for example, a rivet 10.

The free end 12 of the spring 9 abuts the arc chamber 5 in force-constrained relation. The free ends 11 and 12 of the spring 9 brace against a pin 13 provided at the arc chamber 5 between said ends. The vertex 15 of the spring 9 abuts and slides on the inclined plane 14 of the base member 1, during the insertion of the arc chamber 5.

In FIG. I, the arc chamber is removed from the circuit or switching arrangement, or the like, whereas in FIG. 2, said are chamber is inserted in said circuit or switching arrangement, or the like. The arcuately bent free end 8 of the arc baffle plate 6 abuts a point 16 of the stationary contact 4 and the free ends 11 and 12 of the spring 9 are distorted, as shown in FIG. 2, when the arc chamber 5 is inserted in the circuit or switching arrangement, or the like, as shown in FIG. 2. The bending or distortion of the spring 9, as shown in FIG. 2, provides the desired contact pressure between the baffle plate 6 and the stationary contact 4.

As shown in FIG. 1, a gap or space 17 is provided between the arcuately bent end 8 of the arc baffle plate 6 and the stationary contact 4 when the insertion of the arc chamber is initiated. The space 17 diminishes at first, during the insertion of the arc chamber 5, due to the bending or distorting of the spring-9. Thus, the length of the first arm of the spring 9, which has the end 11, determines the required contact pressure between the arc baffle plate 6 and the stationary contact 4, and the length of the second arm of said spring, which has the end 12, determines the rest position of the arc baffle plate 6.

The rivet 10 may be readily replaced by any suitable forceconstrained connection such as, for example, a device for hooking the free end 11 of the spring 9 into the free end of the arc baffle plate 6. The spring 9 may be of other than acute angular configuration such as, for example, spiral configuration. If the spring 9 is a spiral compression spring, special devices are required for storing and holding said spring.

The device of the present invention provides, in a simple manner, good electrical contact between two mutually displaceable components without difficulty in the mutual insertion of such components.

While the invention has been described by means of a specific example and in a specific embodiment, we do not wish to be limited thereto, for obvious modifications will occur to those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. 1

We claim: l. A device for force-constrained joining of an arc baffle plate of a removable arc chamber with a stationary contact, said device comprising: 1

a base member having an inclined plane formed thereon; stationary contact means mounted on said base member in spaced relation with said inclined plane; and j a resilient member elastically affixed to an arc baffle plate of a removable arc chamber and abutting and sliding on the inclined plane of said base member and movingsaid arc baffle plate toward said stationary contact means during mounting of said arc chamber.

2. A device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said resilient member comprises a spring.

3. A device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said resilient member comprises a spring of acute angular configuration.

4. A device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said resilient member comprises a spring 'of substantially V-shaped configuration having one free end affixed to said are baffle plate, 

1. A device for force-constrained joining of an arc baffle plate of a removable arc chamber with a stationary contact, said device comprising: a base member having an inclined plane formed thereon; stationary contact means mounted on said base member in spaced relation with said inclined plane; and a resilient member elastically affixed to an arc baffle plate of a removable arc chamber and abutting and sliding on the inclined plane of said base member and moving said arc baffle plate toward said stationary contact means during mounting of said arc chamber.
 2. A device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said resilient member comprises a spring.
 3. A device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said resilient member comprises a spring of acute angular configuration.
 4. A device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said resilient member comprises a spring of substantially V-shaped configuration having one free end affixed to said arc baffle plate, another free end abutting said arc chamber and a vertex abutting and sliding on said inclined plane.
 5. A device as claimed in claim 4, wherein said other free end of said spring abuts said arc chamber in force-constrained relation. 